Yang, H. L., Chen, X. P., Lee, K. C., Fang, F. F., & Chao, Y. F. (2010). The effects of warm-water footbath on relieving fatigue and insomnia of the gynecologic cancer patients on chemotherapy. Cancer Nursing, 33, 454–460.
To evaluate the effects of promoting sleep and relieving fatigue of warm-water footbaths for female patients with gynecologic cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
Using a footbath device (40x27x45 cm) with water temperatures at 41°C to 42°C, participants in the experimental group soaked their feet to a depth of 10 cm above the ankle. Participants soaked their feet between 8 and 9 pm for 20 minutes and went to bed within one hour of completing the foot soaking. Participants started the foot soaking the eve of first dose of chemotherapy. Participants in the control group did not soak their feet in footbaths. All participants, those receiving and not receiving footbaths, completed fatigue and insomnia items on days 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14 after each scheduled chemotherapy treatment.
Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.
The study used a pre-/post, two-group, prospective, longitudinal cohort design. Control group participants were enrolled and completed measures (no intervention) prior to starting the experimental intervention.
Fatigue levels, except in the first session, were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control (p < 0.001).
The experimental group had higher sleep scores (better quality sleep) than the comparison group at every observation point. All differences but the measurement on the first session were significant (p < 0.001).
Warm-water footbaths administered prior to bedtime during chemotherapy improved sleep and fatigue scores in a small sample of Taiwanese women with gynecologic cancer.
A warm-water footbath, also referred to as local moist heat, is a noninvasive, easy-to-administer technique that may improve sleep and fatigue in women with gynecologic cancers. Further study is warranted.